‘No evidence to prove motive to kill Katara’

Vikas Yadav, serving life term along with two others in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that there was no evidence to show that he was against the alleged relationship between his sister Bharti Yadav and the victim.

Vikas Yadav, serving life term along with two others in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case, on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that there was no evidence to show that he was against the alleged relationship between his sister Bharti Yadav and the victim.

Referring to the testimony of Bharti Yadav, Vikas' counsel UR Lalit said the prosecution had failed to establish the motive that prompted the convict to kill Katara.

"There is nothing which may suggest that the convict knew about it (alleged relation) and expressed his resentment in any manner," Lalit said. The prosecution said Katara, a business executive, was abducted from a wedding party of his friend at Ghaziabad on the intervening night of February 16-17, 2002, and was later killed for his alleged intimacy with Bharti.

On being told that the prosecution witness (Bharti) was Vikas' sister, the lawyer said "she was a prosecution witness" and was treated shabbily by the prosecution for securing her presence before the court.

"Bailable warrants, NBWs and even Red Corner Notice were being issued against the witness as if she was a criminal and not a witness," he said. Vikas, son of controversial UP politician D P Yadav, his cousin Vishal and Sukhdev Pehalwan are serving life term for killing Katara.

The counsel said even if it is assumed that the convict was aware and averse to the alleged relationship of his sister with the victim, it cannot be said that he went to the "extent" of committing this alleged offence.

The counsel also referred to the statements of other witnesses to drive home the alleged contradictions about the time when Katara had left the wedding party.